Beyond Wine: 8 Sonoma Tasting Rooms for a Taste of Something Different
- January 17, 2022
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- Devika Maskey
BY KAILA BOHLER, Sonoma Magazine
Sonoma County may be known for its wine, but locals are concocting a variety of drinks, from vodka, whiskey and gin to cider and aperitifs — even mead. If you want to change things up in the new year, here are nine local tasting rooms to visit, perhaps once pandemic conditions improve (or order your drinks online on company websites for delivery or pickup). Click through the above gallery for a peek at the tasting rooms and drinks.
Crooked Goat Brewing
This brewery started as a hobby project for a group of friends and eventually turned into a full-time business. Since opening in 2016, Crooked Goat has brewed more than 350 types of beer. They offer a wide selection of brews on rotating taps, including traditional and nontraditional ales, sours, IPAs and even a seltzer.
The brewery’s west county taproom, located in The Barlow in downtown Sebastopol, has a friendly and lively vibe. The taproom doesn’t have a kitchen, so the brewery has partnered with Barlow restaurants to offer a variety of dishes to pair with your brew. Partner restaurants include Acre Pizza, The Farmer’s Wife and Sushi Kosho.
120 Morris St., Suite 120, Sebastopol, 707-827-3893, crookedgoatbrewing.com
Golden State Cider
Hard ciders are having a moment. In Sonoma County, cider makers are reviving local orchards; among them is Golden State Cider, owned by Jolie Devoto-Wade and her husband, Hunter Wade. The Devoto family has been farming apples in Sonoma County since the late 1970s, and Jolie and Hunter continue to make great things with the fruit.
Visit the Golden State Cider taproom in The Barlow and try their 12 ciders, available on rotating taps. Don’t miss Save the Gravenstein, a heritage-style cider made exclusively from Gravenstein apples grown in the Sebastopol hills. The cidery’s Harvest Series features ciders made from local fruit and includes Fool’s Gold, an aromatic cider made from organic apple varieties grown on Gold Ridge Road in Sebastopol, and The Elder Tree, with Newtown Pippin and Arkansas Black apple varieties.
180 Morris St., Suite 150, Sebastopol, 707-827-3765, drinkgoldenstate.com
